Sports Reporter

"There is a direct link between players who play the majority of the minutes in a Test season and long term or repeated injuries": Rocky Elsom. Photo: Getty Images

Rocky Elsom believes the ARU should allow players who have accrued the most Test time this year to miss the spring tour and spend the off-season training at home to help them strengthen for the next World Cup.

And to help the struggling Wallabies get back on track, Elsom believes the ARU should back down from its policy of selecting only Australian-based players.

Elsom believes a large part of the team's predicament is due to an ineffective strength and conditioning program employed over the past five years.

He said overloading players had exposed the limits of Australia's playing pool; the effects of which are being felt by coach Ewen McKenzie. Some argue the injury toll provides more Australians with Test experience but the side's recent record shows there has been little success for it.

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''There is a direct link between players who play the majority of the minutes in a Test season and long term or repeated injuries,'' Elsom said. ''Twelve of our top 15 players have had major surgery and/or multiple aggravations of the same injury in the period since the World Cup. That is an amazing statistic.

''As a result, our best players are unavailable to us so it's little wonder the Wallabies are struggling. A comprehensive national strategy and revamped Wallaby performance program are essential if we are to get the boys back in top condition and winning consistently.''

Worse for the Wallabies, there is little relief awaiting after Saturday's Rugby Championship clash against Argentina in Rosario which they will start with only one win in five Tests under McKenzie, an unconvincing 14-13 victory over the Pumas in Perth.

The Wallabies play the All Blacks in Dunedin on October 19, followed by their first spring tour Test against England at Twickenham (November 2), Italy in Turin (November 9), Ireland in Dublin (November 16), Scotland in Edinburgh (November 23) and Wales in Cardiff (November 30).

Elsom believes a new program must accommodate the need for recovery spells, especially for the 2015 World Cup in England. ''Since 2007, the Wallabies have operated, for the most part, with one performance coach - which is laughable when you compare it to the top teams in the world or even the Wallabies' previous programs,'' Elsom said. ''If the game in Australia is short on cash, we need to make sure we're getting every bit out of the $26-odd-million we spend on players.

''In order to get our players in world-class physical condition, the Wallabies need to use every player at their disposal to allow them to give the Wallabies a chance to become fitter, faster and stronger. The best way to build towards the World Cup is to build stronger, more powerful bodies and get our best players available and playing together. At some point the boys need a pre-season and going eight years without one into the World Cup is not ideal. We need all hands on deck to get the boys out of the hole they're in.''

There is no shortage of expats in Europe who could step up and play for Australia again.

Elsom said McKenzie should be planning to ''get them laced up for the November Tests and keep some boys training at home''.

He rejects the notion that by allowing Australians on foreign teams to play for the Wallabies, the ARU will risk losing home-based players, saying Australians will attract less money overseas if they are required for Test matches.

Twitter - @rupertguinness

6 comments so far

They'll never be truly competitive without a provisional competition, between club level and Super Rugby. New Zealand have the ITM cup, and South Africa have the Currie Cup. Not having this extra level of competition to blood club players into a more professional, competitive level of the game, is the biggest problem the ARU has at the moment.

Commenter

Wynne

Location

Maitland, NSW

Date and time

October 06, 2013, 4:36AM

Agree totally with Wynne of Maitland. Courtesy of Setanta Sports here in China, I get the opportunity to watch the Currie Cup and NZ's domestic ITM cup. The competition is tough and brutal and I am of the view that the second 15 from both these countries could get on top of the current Wallabies. The nearest thing Australian Rugby have is the Shute Shield and that is almost pedestrian by comparison. It is no wonder the Wallabies are slipping down the world rankings. I watched a clip of a 2008 Bledisloe where the Wallabies featured the Lathams, Herberts, Kefue et al, and our scrum was solid, our backs skillful even though we lost the match by 4 points. Sadly the standard of play by Australia to-day is not comparable.

Commenter

xavier

Location

Shenzhen, China

Date and time

October 09, 2013, 8:56PM

Rocky s right , use overseas players for the over seas tours , keep the front line in oz getting in the best shape possible

Commenter

sulkysully

Date and time

October 06, 2013, 5:24AM

Rocky is deadright !

ARU and McKenzie must plan now for the 2015 RWCup. Wallabies at full strength, with experienced combinations will be very dangerous.

I magine Anthony Fainga'a, Rob Horne, Tevita Kuridrani, all fit and competing for that 13 spot. The tackles will be hurting the opposition.

Rocky speaks immense sense here. I've been puzzled for a long time about the body shapes of our players. They simply don't look right nor do they appear to be fully fit. The strength and conditioning point Rocky makes must be worth a close look by the ARU.

Commenter

Nuge

Location

UK

Date and time

October 07, 2013, 6:03PM

Here a tip for the rugby union their little experiment with rugby league players has destroyed the Wallabies. The drinking culture and bad behaviour of the Wallabies is effecting their performance. I have no interest in watching the Wallabies while they continue to play so poorly.